Immortality
by stormey-by-nature
Summary: An insight to the beautiful immortal hurrocks
1. Chapter One

Immortality ******************************************************  
  
Selnissa lay nestled among the rocks steadily watching the hurrocks eat their catch. Never had she seen such fascinating creatures in all her life. They looked so beautiful standing there - stormy grey coats sparkling in the sun, the black mane and tail lifting in the breeze. The wicked teeth and hooves did not phase her one bit. If only she could be like them she thought wistfully. But she couldn't - she was but a lowly servant child born only to serve the every whim of her cruel mistress the Lady Almarnay.  
  
"Selnissa. Come here at once." Rang the nasal voice of her mistress. "If you don't you'll be sorry.  
  
"I'll be back." She whispered to the great beasts. She nimbly darted in and out of the rocks arriving by her mistress' side in minutes. She struck her a cruel blow across the cheek. Selnissa staggered back kneeling meekly at her mistress' feet.  
  
"Never run off like that again." She screeched angrily. "Your place is by my side not up on the hills. You will be flogged once we return for your disobedience."  
  
Selnissa's eyes widened in fear of the promised beatings. She would be given 30 lashes this time. There was no doubt.  
  
Selnissa walked by the head of her mistress' horse. "Don't worry Sally, it'll be alright. You'll see." She whispered gently to the mare. The mare eyed her and shook her head snorting softly. The mistress shrieked and cruelly hauled back on the reins, damaging the horse's soft mouth.  
  
"I'm sorry Sally." She whispered not seeing the blow that came from the whip. She staggered and fell into Sally. The horse fell forward throwing her rider; then the horse slowly fell on top of the still girl. There was a sickening crunch as the horse fell on her. Selnissa watched in horror and helped Sally to her feet. She fell to her mistress' side.  
  
"Lady Almarnay!" she cried trying to wake the girl. Her mistress' head rolled uselessly.  
  
"No." Selnissa cried in fear. The mistress couldn't be dead. The horse backed away snorting in terror. The servant girl shook her a couple of times more.  
  
"Sally we must go. We'll be hunted by Lord Pratlas." She said fleeing to her friend's side. Together they traversed the way they had come going as swiftly and silently as one of the locals could. They never saw the Golden Eagle watching them.  
  
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"Where is the Lady Almarnay?" asked the impatient Lord Pratlas. His blond hair gleamed in the sunlight. His blue eyes belied his impatience. He was every inch a warrior thought his wife proudly.  
  
"The great lady has not yet come back from her ride my Lord." The servant bowed low to his master.  
  
"She was supposed to be here for luncheon." He rapped out angrily ignoring the surprised look of his guest long time friend Numair Salamin.  
  
"She has not comeback my lord. We have sent out search parties." The servant said calmly.  
  
"My Lord, My lord." A voice cried. He turned to berate his squire for interrupting him.  
  
"The Lady Almarnay has been found." The boy said pale faced.  
  
"And where is my daughter?" he asked the boy gently. He knew how scared the boy was of him.  
  
"We think you should come and see for yourself my lord." His squire said with a bow.  
  
He glared impatiently at the boy and motioned for him to lead the way.  
  
"I would like to come also Alnas." Numair said gently.  
  
Together they swept out of the drawing room.  
  
****************************************************** I do not own anything of Tamora Pierces characters. Please review. 


	2. Chapter Two

Immortality  
  
***************************************************************************  
  
"We are going to be in so much trouble Sally." Selnissa said softly shying away from that horrible scene. The horse whuffled gently to her friend.  
  
"Maybe your right." Selnissa said softly. "We gotta make sure we're not seen. We gotta hide."  
  
Sally nodded emphatically. "Maybe we should try and follow the herd of hurrocks. Nobody'd go near them - they wouldn't assume we would either. What do you think Sally?" Selnissa said quietly her soft brown hair escaping from its confining braids.  
  
The horse stared at the girl. 'I can't believe I'm agreeing to this.' She grumbled to herself quietly. Slowly she nodded her head.  
  
"Thankyee Sally." The girl cried throwing her arms around the horse's neck green eyes glowing with excitement. The horse caught her excitement and snorted happily.  
  
'I miss young Daine. Wonder what she's doing now.' The horse thought to herself. 'If only she'd known the hands I'd fallen into. But this little one certainly makes up for that cruel creature.'  
  
"Let's go. Know we're going on an adventure. Like in those books the master makes us read." Selnissa said excitedly. "And I'm free. It's just like one of them fairy tails."  
  
Sally snorted in agreement - the girl'd often read her these books.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
"What happened?" asked a shocked Lord Pratlas. He stared down at the broken body of his little girl. She looked so innocent - her blond hair fell around her face softly framing it. Her pale blue eyes still held their shock.  
  
"We believe the horse fell on her. Or she fell off the horse and broke her neck. Sir." The old healer said patiently. His black eyes gazed piercingly into the blue eyes of his master.  
  
"Where's her maid? And that animal?" Lord Pratlas asked angrily.  
  
"It would not be the girl young man. I have seen that scamp of a maid and she would never do anything to displease you. And no matter how much she disliked your daughter she would never do a thing like this." The healer said curtly.  
  
"And how would you know that?" Lord Pratlas asked him sharply.  
  
"My wife and I raised her after her mother died a couple of years ago. She would not hurt a fly." The healer replied just as sharply pepper grey hair standing on end.  
  
"Calm down Alnas. I am sure there is a reasonable explanation for this." Numair said gently resting his hand on his friends shoulder. Alnas turned and stared at him surprise. "All we need to do is find the girl and the horse."  
  
"Where are they?" Lord Pratlas demanded of his squire.  
  
"They haven't been seen my Lord. We couldn't even find any hoof prints." The squire said trembling at the undisguised anger in his master's voice. The boy was small for his age - a mere fourteen. But what he missed in the looks department he made up for in his lessons and weapons work. He was extremely shy and found it hard to relate to anybody - he'd had few friends at the Palace.  
  
"You won't find them Lord Pratlas." A raspy voice said. They looked round to see a golden eagle looking at them.  
  
"Why not Daine?" Numair asked looking at his long time lover.  
  
"They've run off. She is afraid of Lord Pratlas's wrath. She fears that you would treat her the way that your daughter treats her." Daine said piercing him with the fathomless eyes of the eagle.  
  
"What do you mean the way my daughter treats her. She has always treated her servants well from what I have seen." Lord Pratless said eyes filling with anger again.  
  
"Not from what I saw. Her maid went up to look at your local herd of hurrocks and she yelled for her to come down. The little girl wasn't tardy about it but she gotten hit for it. The girl led the horse and talked to her like she should. She's as cruel to her pets as she is to her servants. She went to far this time. She hit the girl - the girl fell into the Sally's path. Sally fell over the girl sent your little girl flying over her head and landed on you little girl. The result is the one you see before you. The servant girl fled with the horse afraid that they both would be beaten to death." Daine said quietly.  
  
"My little girl would never do that." Lord Pratlas said angrily his blue eyes flashing.  
  
"Are you calling me a liar Lord Pratlas?" Daine said softly.  
  
"No. I am sorry Daine. Please forgive me. I forget myself." Lord Pratlas said sighing. Numair and Lord Pratlas left Daine to the mercies of his wife Lady Alasan. They quickly headed towards his office.  
  
"All you need to do Alnas is question the servants you have set upon her. I could question them under a truth spell." Numair said trying to soothe his unhappy friend.  
  
"You would do that for me?" Alnas said turning to stare softly at his friend.  
  
"Of course." Numair said. "By the way I've always wanted to know how come your servants speak so well. Most servants I have met sound like the common folk of the lower city."  
  
"I have made sure my servants have received an education from an early age. One of the lessons they learn is Etiquette. In this lesson they learn similar things to the pages - how to address people, the proper bows, how to speak properly - the list goes on. I modelled it on the lessons I was taught as a page." Alnas said proudly.  
  
"They are a credit to you." Numair said smiling at the pride his friend held in his educated servants.  
  
"The missing girl - she was one of our best students. That was why she was given as a personal maid to her. She reads extremely well - she even saved up the wages we gave her to buy her own books. When she got one she'd go and read it to that mare you and Daine gave Almarnay." Alnas said smiling in memory of those times. He opened the door to his office and ushered Numair in. Numair looked around and picked one of the comfortable armchairs.  
  
"How did you know that?" Numair said in surprise.  
  
"I usually go and visit my stallions every night - she's usually there when I'm there. I listen to her talk to the mare - like she's a human. She barely speaks to another human. She seems to prefer animal company than humans." Alnas said softly.  
  
"Your rather fond of the girl." Numair noted.  
  
"Don't tell Alasan but I've wished many times that the little girl was mine. Not Almarnay." Alnas said softly.  
  
"But why?" Numair said surprised. "That's not a normal reaction."  
  
"Alasan has spoilt her rotten. Given her everything she wanted - I tried to stop it but to no avail. That is where I think she got the notion that she could treat the servants any way she likes. She does not at all act like a young lady no matter that she has had the schooling." Alnas said sighing. "The little girl is everything I wished Almarnay would be. But there is one thing I haven't told Alasan."  
  
"Are you going to tell me?" Numair asked curiously his black hair swaying in the breeze.  
  
"The little servant girl whose mother died. Her mother was my first wife. She is my child. The girl doesn't know this. All of the older servants know - they were my father's. Her mother was a mage - a foreign mage - and we both fell in love when I was in my final year as a squire to Lord Paxton. When I became a knight I came home and wed her unbeknownst to my family and friends. I didn't know father has arranged a marriage for me with Alasan. When I announced I was married and introduced my bride my family was to say the least scandalised. They made the marriage null and hid her away from public view when they found out she carried my child. Before I found out that she was with child I was married off to Alasan as quickly as could be. When I found she was child I was furious with my father but I couldn't do anything about it. When he died I brought Dalse and the girl back here. Mother was angry but couldn't do anything to stop me. She his Dalse away from Alasan and I. The girl was taken when she was old enough and mother trained her as her personal servant. I was powerless to stop her. Dalse died not long after. I was so angry with my family - I still am. I also know I'm going to have to tell Alasan soon. I don't know how well she's going to take it. But I have to find the girl." Alnas said pleading for understanding.  
  
"Well Alnas. Your servants have kept it well." Numair said softly thinking over what his friend had said. "Tell Alasan. I'd say it would be better to tell her immediately. So she doesn't get to far into her grief with Almarnay. But I warn you she might hate the girl - because she is your legal firstborn and because she caused her daughter's death no matter how accidental it was."  
  
"I know." He said softly "Oh I know."  
  
~~~~~~  
  
"Hey Sally. Look. There they are. They are so beautiful." Selnissa said softly staring in awe at the herd of hurrocks. One of the babies heard her and turned its regal head to look at her. Staring curiously at the girl it stopped its play to watch her. Boldly she stared back at it. Its mother called it - the baby ignored it and kept staring at her. The mother came up impatiently and nipped her young one's flank. Still it ignored her. Growling softly she turned to see what had captured her babies interest.  
  
Human she called to the herd. Heads came up and turned to stare at the girl and her companion.  
  
And food her mate said eagerly.  
  
Let them be. They have done us no wrong. They are not here to hunt us or you'd have smelt the death on her. All I can smell is peace and happiness the mare replied sharply. The herd complied to her unsaid orders. One by one they returned back to their previous activities.  
  
Ooman her young son said.  
  
Human his mother corrected firmly her turquoise green eyes staring at her son.  
  
Hu-man her son repeated after her. Hu-man  
  
"Very good. Go play she said nudging him away. She turned to watch the girl child and her pet warily.  
  
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I hope you like it. Took me a while to think of. Please review.  
  
Love lil old me.  
  
P.S. Few of the characters actually belong to me. They belong to the good authoress Ms Pierce. 


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